Sabine’s Gulls are regular wanderers to Texas with 1st year birds in the fall months representing the most frequent sightings.
Sabine’s is one of the smaller gulls; smaller than the Bonaparte’s Gull and larger only than the Little Gull.
Both adult and immature Sabine’s are in a group I call “the “M” Birds” due to the roughly “M” shaped pattern on the back and wings. Although I am yet to capture a photograph illustrating this pattern, the Macaulay Lab of Cornell has many such examples. In an adult this “M” pattern is fairly solid and bold, while in juveniles it is slightly more diffuse.
The Sabine’s has a long neck with a petite head and bill. The bill and legs are black. The tail is slightly forked, which is unusual in a gull, but this feature is easily overlooked.
Based on the fully adult back, but with a grayish hind-neck, I believe this Sabine’s, photographed by Lance Felber in November of 2025 in Port Aransas, Texas, is a sub-adult. Note the high and elongated back-half of the bird, its long neck and petite overall proportions.
The size, structure and plumage differences versus a Laughing Gull can be seen below.
This 1st year Sabine’s appeared at Hornsby Bend in Austin, Texas in September of 2016. Note the overall petite build, the long, gray-tinged neck, high rear-half and scalloped-look of the back.
